ODA
COMMITTEE MAY 24, 2000 ACTION TIP

The ODA Committee has declared
Wednesday, May 24, 2000 an official "ODA Action Day".That
date is the fifth anniversary of Premier Mike Harris' unkept 1995 election
promise to enact the Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The ODA Committee
encourages one and all to take sometime on that date to contact one or more
of their nearest Conservative members of the Ontario Legislature or their
staff at their constituancy office. Let them know that half a decade is
more than enough time to keep this important election promise. Indeed, "Half
a Decade is Long Enough" is our theme for this day.

We encourage you to focus your efforts on MMPs from the governing Conservative
Party, because they are most in need of hearing our message. Both the Liberal
and NDP parties have been very supportive of our efforts. If you have the
time, visit the Conservative MPP's constituancy office, and meet with the
MPP or his or her staff. If you cannot get there in person, then phone them.
If you prefer, you might send them a fax, Email or posted letter. You can
get a list of MPPs and their addresses and phone numbers from the ODA Committee's
web site at www.odacommittee.net/Tory- MPPs.html

We
will also Email a list of their contact information shortly to our ODA Committee
Email list, or you can request a copy by phone from Marg Thomas at (416)
480-7686 or by Email from oda@odacommittee.net

MPPs will be in their constituancy offices on May 24, and should be available
throughout that week, because the Legislature is not sitting that week.

Below
is a sample letter, and a chronology of the major events over
the past five years. You could use these as the basis of your personal
visit, phone call, or letter. Add to this a description of actual barriers
which are experienced by you or people close to you which the Ontarians
with Disabilities Act should remove and prevent, so all Ontarians with disabilities
can live in a barrier- free Ontario. It's best to use your own words and
ideas, but feel free to use this sample if it helps. You also may want to
bring with you or send your MPP a picture of a barrier you or others face
in your community.

In
addition to this MPP blitz, you are encouraged to contact your local media
to report on the impact on your community of Premier Harris' five years
of inaction. Emphasize the importance of the May 24 anniversary to you.
Letters to the editor might also be sent to your local newspaper in advance
requesting that they be published on May 24. You might also let the media
know what kind of response you got from your nearest Conservative MPP's
office.

Encourage
others to take action in support of this important ODA Action Day. Let us
know what steps are being taken.

SAMPLE
LETTER
TO A CONSERVATIVE MEMBER OF
THE ONTARIO LEGISLATURE

I am an
Ontario voter. I want to know what you plan to do to make sure that
your Government keeps its broken 1995 election promise to pass the Ontarians
with Disabilities Act. May 24, 2000 marks the fifth anniversary of this
election promise. I believe that half a decade is long enough.

In
his May 24, 1995 letter to the ODA Committee, Mike Harris made the solemn
election pledge that "a Harris government would be willing to enact
an Ontario with Disabilities Act in the first term of office ..."
Premier Harris' letter also pledged to the Ontarians with Disabilities
Act Committee: "I would be pleased to work together with your Committee
in the development of such legislation." In the half decade that
has followed, Premier Harris has not enacted this promised legislation.
He has refused to take a single hour out of his schedule to meet even
once with representatives of the ODA Committee. Premier Harris claims
that
he keeps all his promises. This one is clearly broken. It is high time
to keep it.

One
and a half million or more Ontarians have a disability. All who live
long enough eventually acquire a disability. A strong and effective
Ontarians with Disabilities Act is needed to benefit all Ontarians.
Ontarians with disabilities deserve to live in a barrier-free province.

The
media has reported that after the Harris Government passed record numbers
of pieces of legislation in its first term in office, it is now struggling
to find things to do in its second term. Why not pass a strong and effective
Ontarians with Disabilities Act?

I
want to know what you will do to help with this. I do not want to receive
a form letter, and do not want to get some list of all the things that
your Government says it has done for people with disabilities. I want
to hear directly and specifically what you will do to help get Premier
Harris to keep this promise, and also to finally agree to meet with
representatives of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

Sincerely,

Your
Name

ONTARIANS
WITH DISABILITIES ACT -
BACKGROUND CHRONOLOGY

* May 24,
1995 Mike Harris makes written election promise to enact the ODA in
his first term and to personally work with the ODA Committee to develop
it.

* May 16,
1996 Ontario Legislature unanimously passes first resolution calling
on Harris Government to keep its ODA election promise.

* April
22, 1998 ODA Committee delivers comprehensive brief to the Legislature
including a blueprint for strong and effective legislation.

* July
13 to September 1998 Ontario Government conducts closed, invitation-only
consultations in 8 cities on what to include in the ODA.

* October
29, 1998 Ontario Legislature unanimously passes second ODA resolution,
one which calls for ODA to be passed which embodies 11 principles
to make it strong and effective.

* November
23, 1998 Citizenship Minister Basset introduces Bill 83, a 3-page
bill which was completely voluntary, limited to government and did
not require any barriers to ever be removed.

* December
17, 1998 Bill 83 allowed to die on the order paper after only one
reading.

* April
22, 1999 Pre-election Throne Speech announces Bill 83 will not be
re-introduced due to criticisms of it. New consultation promised to
be held before new bill to be introduced.

* May -
June 3, 1999 Ontario election Campaign - Harris Government promises
strengthened ODA after more consultations. Liberals and NDP promise
to enact strong and effective ODA which complies with the Legislature's
October 29, 1998 resolution.

* September
10, 1999 ODA Committee presents three parties with proposal that new
ODA public consultation take the form of an all- party Select Committee
of the Legislature to hold public hearings before a bill is drafted.

* September
11, 1999 London Free Press quotes new Citizenship Minister Helen Johns
as stating that a new strong disabilities act is a "huge priority
for me".

* September
20, 1999 NDP accepts ODA Committee proposal for Select Committee on
the ODA to hold province-wide public hearings.

* September
21, 1999 Liberal Party accepts ODA Committee proposal for Select Committee
on the ODA.

* September
28, 1999 ODA Committee Delegation meets with new Citizenship Minister
Helen Johns to discuss ideas for ODA public consultation process.
Minister makes no commitments on format, content or timing of public
consultations. She is still consulting on how to consult.

* October
21, 1999 Throne Speech says Government's "goal" is to introduce
a "new action plan" this session and that consultations
"continue."

* October
27, 1999 ODA Committee writes Minister Johns asking what is meant
by an "action plan". No answer received.

* October
27, 1999 In Question Period, Citizenship Minister Johns contended
that the Government kept its promise to enact the ODA because it had
introduced Bill 83, which was later withdrawn.

* November
23, 1999 On one-year anniversary of Bill 83's introduction, Liberal
Disability Critic MPP Steve Peters proposes third resolution on the
ODA during Liberal Opposition Day. Legislature unanimously passes
this resolution, which calls for a. strong and effective ODA to be
passed within two years ie.. no later than November 23, 2001.

* January
31, 2000 ODA Committee writes Minister Johns expressing serious concerns
about Minister's holding closed, invitation-only consultations. ODA
Committee asks for details of who is invited, and urges that the process
be opened up. Minister Johns never answers these inquiries.

* January
31, 2000 Liberal Disability Critic Steve Peters announces that Liberal
Party will hold a province-wide public consultation tour to get input
from the public on what a strong and effective ODA should contain.

* March
2000 Steve Peters' Public ODA Consultation Tour holds public forums
open to all in 15 cities across Ontario.

* March
31, 2000 Premier Harris does not personally respond to the most recent
ODA Committee letter requesting a meeting with him. Instead, the Premier's
Director of Tour and Public Events turns away the request to meet
the Premier, and suggests that the ODA Committee deal with Citizenship
Minister Helen Johns, who had for months refused to answer the ODA
Committee's inquiries.